Our 7-year old daughter has been taking lessons with Michael for over two years and we couldn't be happier. She has learned to read music, understand scales and time signatures, and really hear arrangements. His lessons have also taught her the values of persistence and discipline. Her ability to learn while sitting still and listen quietly to instruction has improved greatly over time. Piano lessons and practice have supported her hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. We are certain her math skills are benefitting from pattern recognition and division as well. Finally, we have seen our daughter's confidence grow as she has seen her own progress over time. The moment coalesced for us last Christmas when we went to her grandmother's church. She was asked to join the choir and because of her lessons she was able to site read a song she had never seen before and sing along! "I just followed the notes dot-to-dot," she explained simply when we asked her how she had done it. "It was easy!" :) We highly recommend Michael Sellers! read more

Michael Sellers Piano Lessons - Playing a duet! - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me

My son wanted to play the xylophone but said, "first learn music basics through the piano and we will go from there. After the basics I told my son, you can learn any instrument you wish. First off I want to thank Susan from Charles Music store that recommended Mr. Sellers. It has now been 1 year and would like to share with others this review. As a parent remember it's a long-term commitment for both the parents and the student - much is learned by example from the parent. At least a year. And not only a financial one. My child has learned the concept of what a long-term commitment or a relationship is now with learning the piano (which doesn't happen overnight) Such concepts of going to the lessons, driving, traffic, studying the material, reading, memorizing, and goals. Mr. Sellers has accomplished this with his method from his insurmountable experience. A keen observation I would like to add, Mr. Sellers noticed that late afternoon classes were not best for my son. He may have been tired, maybe hungry or both and would rather go out and play than sit for a lesson. So, upon his suggestion, we changed to mornings with a full stomach. What a world of difference. Also, Mr. Sellers uses various disciplines such as science, math, anatomy, engineering, physics, language, construction, experimentation, nature, even using my sons' Lego's to help my son comprehend music and to make it relevant in his world view (FUN!). Imagine applying a science experiment making slime applicable to the piano. Who would have known it would go together than Mr. Sellers!! Yuck! Or Yeah! It worked! A direct quote from my son is he likes Mr. Sellers because he "listens ", that he " is serious", and the piano skills are understood using his "toys" and "school learning subjects". One more, finger strengthening also walking like a Star Wars AT-AT. That clicked. What better place to learn than in the comfort of Mr. Sellers home. What a wealth of knowledge. He has truly shown the hands-on approach. Now with a successful recital behind us at Steinway of Pasadena playing folk songs to Star Wars and his other pieces for practice from classical and Hymns, Pirates of the Caribbean to Peanuts, we look forward to continuing under Mr. Sellers instruction. Thank You Mr. Sellers. May you be a blessing to many others. read more

See all

One thing keeping me up at night was not providing my 11 yo son with music lessons. He said he wanted to learn piano so I found Michael at Charles Music Store in Glendale, Ca. Michael not only taught my son music but he also taught him the history of the composer and background. He REALLY cares if you learn and encourages you to be the best. My son enjoys every lesson and is so much better having lessons from Michael. One less "mom" worry:) read more

I agree with everything my wife wrote below. My five other kids never stuck with piano for longer than a year. Mr. Sellers has kept our daughter motivated and succeeding for four years! It has done wonders for her self confidence, grades in school, ability to focus and stay with a difficult task until it is mastered. Mr. Sellers has the perfect balance of strictness and grandfatherly warmth---which is no easy feat! He's had students go on to Juliard and professional/successful careers in music. We are very grateful to have him for our youngest daughter's maestro. read more

I knew nothing about the piano and had never played a day in my life before starting lessons with Michael. As an adult, learning an instrument can be difficult, but Michael's lessons move at my own pace. He has an easy going manner that helps relax nervous or frustrated students, and knows when to push a little harder, or when to ease off depending on the student's mood. I've never left a lesson feeling like I had not learned something new or made progress in some way. He offers lessons throughout the day and into the evening both at Charles Music in Glendale, and in his home studio in Los Feliz. As a working father to two young children, things come up forcing me to postpone my lesson, but Michael has always found a way to work around whatever drama has popped up in my life on the night of my lesson and fit me into his schedule later in the week. Michael has been teaching both adults and children for decades. With his easy going manner, his wealth of knowledge about technique and history of the piano, and his ability to adapt both his teaching style and schedule to fit your needs, you could do no better than Michael Sellers as your piano instructor, no matter your age or skill level. read more

My son Matthieu has been tutored by Mr. Sellers for two years now. He is an excellent piano teacher. My is learning a great deal. I would highly recommend Mr. Sellers. read more

Mr. Sellers is an amazing piano teacher and pianist. I've been studying piano for 6 years, 4 years with Mr. Sellers. He is very experienced and has traveled to Europe multiple times to perform. He also has many house concerts and each year there is a recital where all students perform. The recital is a great experience. If you are looking for an excellent piano teacher I highly recommend Mr Sellers. He teaches adults piano lessons read more

Michael Sellers has been my piano teacher for 4 years now and I am proud to say that I have become a better pianist. Michael has taught me the importance of self reflection. At the end of my first year of lessons from him, I had to write a success story in cursive. I thought it was the most time consuming idea, but I am now grateful for the little things that he has us do to improve as students. In my opinion, the greatest thing about Michael is his ability to understand what you need to do to improve the music that you play. He shows you the proper technique in his lessons, as well as teaching you new information, while connecting it with what you are learning. I highly recommend that you take lessons from Michael because he wants to see you reach your goals in your piano journey. A couple of personal successes that I have reached this past year include my ability to channel more thought, feeling, & emotion into the pieces I play. In addition, my mindset about piano has changed. In the beginning, I never really enjoyed taking piano lessons because I felt like I was forced into it. Now, I appreciate the positive results one can achieve, just by dedicating the time and effort into practicing piano. The best part about my piano experience has to be the fact that at the end of the year, we perform our selected songs in a student recital at a very nice space in Pasadena. Michael is truly a fun, unique teacher that will be your mentor and your friend. i hope that you choose to take piano lessons from him-- you won't regret it. read more

Michael Sellers is a terrific piano teacher. He has been teaching my daughter for the last 4 years and has really inspired her to enjoy the piano and appreciate all kinds of music. If you are a beginner, he has the student playing music from the very first lesson so that you are engaged in the lesson and excited about playing piano. He makes the lesson fun for young students and still is able to make sure the student learns proper technique because he is so supportive and patient with each individual. If you are a more advanced player, Michael can help you improve your skills and technique because he is a world class classical pianist. He still takes 2 weeks off during the year to do a tour of Europe. Michael Sellers has an annual recital where all his students get to play several of the pieces they have been working on all year. This is a great idea because it gives the students a chance to learn how to work toward a goal, develop the skills to reach that goal and then experience the fruits of their hard work. I have been a professional musician my whole life and I highly recommend Michael Sellers. My daughter has really improved her piano playing skills over the last 4 years and more importantly, learned to express herself and discover new styles of music and art. read more

Our seven year old daughter has been taking piano lessons from Michael since age four. He's a fun loving but also strict teacher at the same time. After trying group lessons and taking private lessons at Southern California Piano Academy we switched to Michael. I researched long and hard to find a good teacher who can instill the love for music and also set specific goals for learning for my daughter. Michael turned out to be the one. He follows the Royal Conservatory of Music program for his teaching although not requiring every student to take the test depending on individuals. He's a very dedicated teacher and a knowledgeable concert pianist. I love the fact not only he teaches music theory, techniques, provides structured guidelines to his students based on their levels but also train their showmanship. Each year he holds a recital for his students at a very nice venue to show case what they've learned. He even holds a rehearsal for the recital to teach kids showmanship. Our daughter has been receiving first class honors for her RCM exam three years in a row. She even had the highest score for all levels last year at her test center.Michael teaches both young chidren and adults in his home on his grand Steinway. We are very appreciative of Michael's devotion to his students and highly recommend him if you or your kids are serious about piano study. read more

Michael Sellers, is a registered Steinway Artist. This distinction shows at piano recitals, when compared to other teachers' students, all the hard work Sellers puts into his students is evident in their performance; his students have a professional air about them and, though they are only budlings, they perform with a true musical sensibility that is only seen on the stages of music staples like Disney and Carnegie Hall. It is the approach to the music that sets his students apart. Sellers works on the whole person, their mind, body, and soul, he validates them as musicians and thus as people. Sellers' goal is development, for pupils to learn and show positive changes through lessons over month to month and year to year. Sellers has a sense of humor that he brings to his teaching and that is an integral part of his teaching. He knows that he must make the students have fun, to enjoy the process of musicianship, because musical growth and enjoyment is paid over the course of a lifetime. Sellers wants each of his students to love music, to know about the composer's life and intention with the score and organize when the composers in relation to others and to help the student understand where the written score reviews in relation to other scores in the pantheon. Sellers imparts in his students a joy in making music, and a free bravery in performing the pieces. Music practice and learning is serious requiring a great investment of time and finances. It should have a happy sense about it, though music's purpose is to help humans understand their world, their place in it and themselves ultimately its purpose is for us to have fun in the first place, and you won't practice if it's not fun. In part his pupils perform so well, because they are free from the "ruler striking the hands" cliche or the chore of mundanely repeating notes. He makes sure that his students understand how and what they are reading, and to hear themselves when they play and to know why they are doing music in the first place. In short, Sellers makes the student a mini-expert on the piece they are working on. Perhaps it is this quality that shows through in their public performances. Granted very few students today whose parents can afford to give them piano lessons will have a career in music, but their individual paths will have a deep appreciation for music and they will have self esteem in knowing that they can create music. They learn the lesson of discipline and application and study all while being free to pursue the knowledge without the pressure of criticism or negativity. They find an encouraging, warm environment and are treated as adults according to their respective age. They are always happy to see Michael, they enjoy him and you can see that they eventually love their piano teacher like many of us dreamed of doing. Sellers is deeply knowledgable and comfortable to learn from, but he is disciplined and firm with knowledge, the students respect him, they know he is no pushover, but they are not afraid of him and they are happy when they are with him. I kid you not when I say even Lang Lang could learn a thing or two about performance and musicianship from Sellers. Michael Sellers is a descendent of Richard the Lion Hearted and when he plays his royal blood infuses his music with the nobility of Kings. He has intelligent blue eyes that, like the photos of Pablo Picasso, are so intense they sear right to your very core and unravel whatever mysteries you think you may hold. This, no doubt, the result of a life spent unraveling and unlocking the inner workings from the manuscripts of the musical geniuses of the past. In my pursuit of finding a piano teacher I interviewed, via a lesson or two, 23 teachers in the area. I can tell you that no other teacher tested my aural abilities to see what natural gifts I might possess, and what material he would have to mold. Sellers has a way of making concrete the lessons and the themes and the principles of musicality. As example, for timing, he took me outside and had me step and clap at the same time I spoke aloud the time signature. Sellers takes his responsibility as your music teacher seriously. He has never said anything negative about my performance, instead he finds ways of critiquing in a factual manner without judgment. This is critical because the teacher is shaping the pupil's sense of musical self esteem and art by its very nature must be creative and free. True, principles, rules and musical laws are to be abided in order to make music, but above all art is its own master. Sellers knows this to his very marrow. A parent is entrusting their child to a teacher who will help shape and form that child's mind and identity. Your child should have the best musical education available and it should be positive, painless, fun, yet have a disciplined approach followed by practice and always constructive. read more